Spherical shell rolls down a ramp with friction-time?

In summary, a spherical shell with a mass of 120 g and a diameter of 25.7 cm, treated as a thin shell, rolls down a ramp with an incline of 31◦ and a distance of 6.29 m, starting from rest. The moment of inertia for a thin spherical shell is given by I = 2/3mR^2, and the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s^2. The coefficient of friction is 0.24. To find the time it takes for the sphere to roll without slipping, the net force and net torque equations are used. The net torque is caused by the frictional force and is equal to the moment of inertia times the
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spherical shell rolls down a ramp with friction--time?

Homework Statement



A 120 g basketball has a 25.7 cm diameter and may be approximated as a thin spherical
shell.
Starting from rest, how long will it take a basketball to roll without slipping 6.29 m down an incline that makes an angle of 31◦ with the horizontal? The moment of inertia of a thin spherical shell of radius R and mass m is I =2/3mR^2, the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 m/s^2 , and the coefficient of friction is 0.24. Answer in units of s.

Homework Equations


For rolling v(of cm)=wr?
derivative of this is tangential acceleration=angular a * r
Net torque=Ialpha
Fnet=ma

rotational kinematics equations (ex., theta=theta initial + winitial*t + (1/2)angular accel.*t^2

The Attempt at a Solution


I'm having some conceptual difficulties... for rolling, it seems like you would need to track one point on the sphere to find the time it took for that point to travel 6.29 m... but then wouldn't you need theta (in radians)? My approach would be to do that with rotational kinematics equations but then maybe you need to find angular acceleration through torques and whatnot?

In any case, I made a free body diagram, and it seemed like the net torque was cause by the force due to friction only. The net force was the parallel component of gravity (mgsinθ) minus the force due to friction. Through this setup I wanted to find α. I might be overcomplicating it but I didn't want to underestimate the rolling thing... I find that idea very challenging.

I substituted the known values in for the acceleration=angular a * r, Net torque=Iα

Fnet=ma=mgsinθ - F of friction= mgsinθ - μmg
=(120 g)sin31 - (0.24)mg

a/r=α

τ=r*Force of friction=r(0.24)mg
τ=Iα=I(a/r)=r(0.24)mg

Inputted some values and tried to simplify but it got way too complicated--can someone just tell me if my basic setup/idea is right?
 
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If you take x-axis along the ramp and y-axis perpendicular to ramp,
Σfx = Mgsinθ - fr = M*a(cm),...(1)
where fr is the frictional force and a(cm) is the acceleration of center of mass.
Net torque Στ = fr*R = I*α = 2/3*M*R^2*α...(2)
Frictional force fr = μ*M*g*cosθ..(3)
a(cm) = R*α...(4)
Using all these equations, find a(cm)
Then using kinematic equation find required time t.
 

Related to Spherical shell rolls down a ramp with friction-time?

1. How does the presence of friction affect the time it takes for a spherical shell to roll down a ramp?

The presence of friction will always increase the time it takes for a spherical shell to roll down a ramp. This is because friction acts in the opposite direction of motion, causing the shell to slow down as it moves down the ramp.

2. Is the time it takes for a spherical shell to roll down a ramp affected by the mass of the shell?

Yes, the time it takes for a spherical shell to roll down a ramp is affected by the mass of the shell. Heavier shells will have more inertia and therefore take longer to accelerate and roll down the ramp compared to lighter shells.

3. Does the angle of the ramp affect the time it takes for a spherical shell to roll down?

Yes, the angle of the ramp does affect the time it takes for a spherical shell to roll down. A steeper ramp will result in a shorter time since the shell will accelerate faster due to gravity. On the other hand, a shallower ramp will result in a longer time as the shell will accelerate at a slower rate.

4. Is there a specific equation that can be used to calculate the time it takes for a spherical shell to roll down a ramp with friction?

Yes, the equation for the time it takes for a spherical shell to roll down a ramp with friction is t = sqrt(2h/µg(sin(θ) - µcos(θ))), where t is time, h is the height of the ramp, µ is the coefficient of friction, g is the acceleration due to gravity, and θ is the angle of the ramp.

5. How does the coefficient of friction affect the time it takes for a spherical shell to roll down a ramp?

The coefficient of friction has a direct impact on the time it takes for a spherical shell to roll down a ramp. A higher coefficient of friction will result in a longer time since there will be more resistance to the motion of the shell. A lower coefficient of friction will result in a shorter time since there will be less resistance.

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